EDITORS' CORNER
Key Takeaways
- The article discusses a high school teacher in Washington state, Kelsey Early, who publicly expressed her refusal to recite the Pledge of Allegiance or national anthem, instead opting to sing politically charged phrases against Trump and other topics, sparking controversy.
- The Issaquah School District placed Early on non-disciplinary leave due to her actions disrupting the educational environment, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a welcoming space for all students.
- The article reflects on a perceived increase in political polarization among educators since Trump's election, citing personal experiences with teachers who have made derogatory remarks towards Trump supporters.
OPINION/ANALYSIS
Donald Trump’s second election has (re)awakened the dormant neuroses of many, in particular educators.
In one of the latest instances from the far-left state of Washington, a high school Spanish teacher recorded herself — in a classroom — declaring she will not say/sing the Pledge of Allegiance or national anthem in class. (Who sings the national anthem in class?)
Instead, Kelsey Early said she will sing “F*ck Trump, F*ck ICE, Free Palestine.”
In a different video, Early (pictured) recorded herself in what appears to be her classroom with the text “How the government wants us to teach” scrawled across the screen.
Early says “Today we’re doing a lesson on the biggest problem facing the United States today. What do you think it is?”
She then plays the part of various “students” who ask “Is it climate change?” (Answer: “No.”) “Is it our sending of billions of dollars to Israel to kill children?” (Answer: “Definitely not, we’re not allowed to talk about that.”) “Is it gun violence in school and we’re killing our own children?” (Answer: “No, that one we’re gonna keep ignoring.”)
Early’s big reveal: “Banning TikTok.”
The Issaquah School District ended up putting Early on “non-disciplinary leave” pending results of an investigation into her actions.
“[Issaquah] is committed to the safety and well-being of every student, which includes maintaining welcoming learning environments for students of all backgrounds,” Issaquah HS Principal Erin Connolly said in a statement.
“[Early’s] activity has created disruption in our schools and raised concern among students, families and the community. While we respect employees’ First Amendment rights, and acknowledge the employee’s cooperation, state law and district regulations require that staff expression not interfere with the orderly operation of schools or students’ education.”
Teacher at @IssaquahSchools says she won’t say the pledge or national anthem in her classroom and will instead sing “f*ck Trump, f*ck ICE, free palestine” pic.twitter.com/ILLYnqa8qN
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) August 29, 2025
Issaquah, WA has a very large Israeli population. How is any Republican or Jewish student supposed to feel safe in her classroom when she is actively discriminating against them?
— Ari Hoffman 🎗 (@thehoffather) August 29, 2025
Issaquah has been one of the most active anti Israel schools in Western Washington pic.twitter.com/Ukewrj8bou
Connolly added that Issaquah teachers “will continue to follow the approved curriculum,” and that the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem “will not be altered in our school, classrooms or field of play.”
Earlier this year, another Washington State teacher (who believes teaching is “an inherently political act”) posted a pic of himself with a “This Teacher Kills Fascists” sign.
And then you have clowns like this who invoke the highly dubious “research shows …” and say parents have a “warped perception” about their rights regarding their children in public schools:
Teacher quit this year because of new policies which don’t allow teacher to use “preferred name and pronouns”
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 3, 2025
“Parents have an extremely warped perception of parental rights”
The school and students really dodged a bullet here pic.twitter.com/l2bsKz3y0R
My God. Imagine asking your kid what he/she learned in Early’s Spanish class today: “Are you learning the differences between the verbs ‘ser’ and ‘estar’ yet?”
“Nah, today she told us how the Israeli Defense Forces are ‘fascist.'”
It’s beyond amazing the total lack of self-control some educators have when it comes to posting controversial material on social media. As I noted during Trump’s first campaign, it must come from many teachers’ (mistaken) belief that all their peers are fellow liberals.
Teachers and administrators whose politics were basically unknown to me went off the deep end beginning in 2016, the first time Trump was elected.
One math teacher (who literally believed himself to be so intellectually superior that he left the public schools for a private institution because it allegedly valued his “worth”) shortly after the 2016 election posted on Facebook that if any of his FB friends voted for Trump they should unfriend him immediately … as he didn’t want to be associated with “racists,” etc.
This is the same guy who, at a teacher happy hour one week after 9/11, had to be told to shut up as he was busy bragging about himself during a moment of silence for the 3,000 victims of that tragedy.
A former colleague recently organized a luncheon for retired educators and staff from our old school. I initially was looking forward to it, then I saw the attendance list. “No, thanks,” I replied.
Why? Because after election season 2024, some on that list had called those who voted for and/or supported Trump some pretty horrible stuff.
These include a counselor(!), a teacher who eventually moved to the state DOE and helped create a teacher evaluation system, and a school administrator who also had lost his marbles during the 2016 election (constantly posting material from Occupy Democrats and Media Matters).
I told my colleague when I got this year’s invite: Why would I choose to be in the same room, let alone have lunch with, individuals who, just because my politics differ, believe I am evil incarnate?
She understood.
